


like a symphony

by torigates



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-29
Updated: 2011-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>it's Winter Formal at Gotham Academy and as usual, Robin is going to have to fix his friends' lives for them</p>
            </blockquote>





	like a symphony

  
So, listen. Dick was pretty familiar with the whole, ‘using one’s powers for good,’ and ‘responsibility to the community’ speech. Batman had gone over that with him about a million times, and in theory, he got it. He really did. It’s just. Okay, he wouldn’t ever go so far as to use his powers for evil, per se, but sometimes it was more fun to use them for... mischief.

And sure, Batman had sat him down on more than one occasion and went through the whole, ‘there’s a time and a place for high jinks,’ spiel (did anyone ever get up to _low_ jinks, he wondered), but Dick was pretty sure Batman didn’t have a humorous bone in his body so he couldn’t really understand how _fun_ it was sometimes to just mess with people for the hell of it.

Plus, sometimes people needed his help. And when those people were Wally they _always_ needed his help.

 

 

 

The signs for the winter formal started going up right after Halloween. He cackled gleefully to himself. This was going to be _fun_.

 

 

 

The hardest part, of course, was going to be getting Artemis to show up. Though it never could be said that Dick did not enjoy a challenge.

The first step was to casually lay some groundwork. That was easy enough, Artemis spent most of her time at school with Bette and Barbara, who he knows will definitely attend. Still, he drops a few hints to Babs about Artemis needed to get out more, be more social, he’s _worried_ about the new girl fitting in, blah, blah, and she ate it right up. He hid a smile behind his hand.

Step two was to leave a flier at Mount Justice where M’gann will come across it. Predictably she squeals when she sees it.

“Are you going to this?” she asked, the paper clutched in her hands.

“Going to what?” Artemis asked.

M’gann handed over the document, and Artemis inspected it. “Oh,” she said darkly. “The dance. I don’t think so, though it’s all anyone at my stupid school can talk about.” She rolled her eyes.

“Really?” Robin asked. “Is it like a big deal, or something.”

“No,” Artemis said, at the same time M’gann said “Yes.”

“What?” Artemis asked. “How can you even know that? You don’t go to my school.”

“I don’t need to,” M’gann said. “Everyone knows school dances are a _huge_ deal. You have to go Artemis! It will be so much fun! You can get a dress! Oh! You could come over here before and I could help you get ready! Wouldn’t that be so much fun.”

“I don’t know,” Artemis said slowly, clearly torn between not wanting to to the dance and not wanting to hurt M’gann’s feelings.

“Dances aren’t really my thing.”

“So?” M’gann asked. “It doesn’t have to be your ‘thing.’ You go, you dress up, you have a good time. What’s not to like?”

“I dunno,” Artemis said. “I’ll think about it.”

 

 

 

After that it was practically a cakewalk. All he had to do was bring the dance up into casual conversation a couple more times when Artemis and M’gann were both around. Once, in a stroke of genius he managed to work it into a conversation about shopping, and then M’gann went on and on about all the different kinds of dresses Artemis could get, and what styles would suit her best. After about twenty minutes of that, M’gann pulled her off and, Robin was pretty sure the two of them actually spent some time at the mall. He thought Artemis might have even bought a dress, considering the permanent scowl on her face the next two days.

He also managed to make sure there was an appropriately themed teen movie or television show on every time the team gathered, and by the end M’gann would be sighing dreamily and talking about how much fun it would be, and _wouldn’t Artemis like to experience it herself?_

Like he said. Too easy.

 

 

 

That left really only one thing to do.

“You know, Batman is making me go to this winter dance thing at my school,” he said over video games.

Wally was holding the console controller in one hand, and eating chips with the other. It made it painfully easy for Robin to shoot off his head.

“Dude,” Wally said. “Not cool.”

Dick smirked.

“So, Batman’s making you go, huh?” Wally asked.

Robin shrugged. “Yeah,” he said. “He thinks it’s good for me to ‘form social bonds,’ or something.”

Wall nodded. “At least all the girls will be dressed up,” he said.

Dick nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He paused. “I heard M’gann took Artemis shopping for a dress.”

Wally choked on a chip, but tried to play it off. “Cool,” he said.

Dick cleared his throat, like he was nervous. “So Batman got me this suit, right? But he like doesn’t know how to do anything half-way and I’m scared it’s going to make me look like a total dork.”

“Oh,” Wally said. “Well, like usual then.”

Robin punched him in the shoulder and looked pained. “Yeah,” he said. “Like normal.” He sighed.

“I guess,” Wally started. “I guess I could come by here before the dance... and see what it looks like?”

“Cool,” Robin said. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Wally picked up the controller and started a new game.

Checkmate.

 

 

 

“I’m not going.”

Artemis’ voice carried through the air vents (Dick knew they would) to the room where Wally was admiring his suit. (“Not too lame at all,” he assured Robin. “You’ll be a total babe magnet.”)

M’gann’s voice wasn’t as loud as Artemis’ so they couldn’t make out what she said.

“No,” Artemis said. “I’m not going. No way.”

“Maybe you should go see what that’s about,” Robin suggested casually. He kept his eyes on the mirror, but watched the way Wally shifted uncomfortably.

“Me?” Wally asked. “Why don’t you go?”

“Duh,” Robin said gesturing to himself. “She doesn’t know I go to her school. She can’t see me like this.”

“Oh,” Wally said. “Well why do I have to go? M’gann’s right there with her.”

Robin shoved him. “Just do it.”

Wally grumbled but went. When he was gone, Robin kicked off the grate on the air vent and climbed through it. “Dance, puppets, dance,” he murmured to himself. He needed to watch the conversation to know when to send him the final piece of his plan.

Getting his new suit a little dirty was definitely worth it for the look on Wally’s face when he saw Artemis in her dress. She was wearing a green knee length halter dress dress, and her hair was down for once.

He had to admit, she looked pretty hot.

“Hey ladies,” Wally said.

M’gann smiled. Artemis crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

“Hi Wally,” M’gann said, she looked delighted to see him, and for a moment Dick wished that he had thought to bring her in on his plan. That girl was a schemer at heart.

“What are you doing here?” Artemis asked.

“Just making sure everything is okay,” he said. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and Dick could tell he was trying to look casual. Instead he looked awkward and uncomfortable.

“Oh Wally,” M’gann said, grabbing him by the elbow and dragging him over to where Artemis was standing. “That’s so sweet of you. Can you please tell Artemis she looks great, and that she needs to go to the dance tonight?”

“Y-yeah,” Wally stuttered. “You look great.” He smiled weakly, but it didn’t last when Artemis scowled at him.

“Like I’m going to believe sir flirts-a-lot,” she said. She ran her hands down her shirt, like she was checking to make she she was properly covered. Robin had never seen her look so self conscious.

“Hey!” he protested. “You do look great. Really great.”

“Well,” Artemis said, her scowl softened slightly. “Thanks, I guess.”

Robin saw M’gann smirk. That girl is a kindred spirit, he thought.

“So what’s the problem?” Wally asked. Robin made silent clapping motions. It was just too perfect.

“There’s no _problem_ ,” Artemis said. “I just don’t want to go.” She turned back to the mirror to regard her reflection, and put her hands up to her hair. M’gann immediately slapped them away.

He regarded her, and put his hands on his hips. “You’re scared.”

“I am _not_ scared,” she said and turned to face him. She squared her shoulders, and the confidence was back in her posture.

“So then go,” he challenged.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I _don’t want to._ ”

“It’s okay if you’re scared,” and Robin could hear the smirk in his voice. It was also pretty evident on his face, and if he wasn’t careful Artemis was going to smack it right off.

“I’m _not_ ,” she bit out.

M’gann was watching them, her head swiveling back and forth as they talked.

“If you’re not scared, then just go.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You can bait me all you want with no consequences.”

“Are you saying I wouldn’t go?” he asked. They were standing facing each other, and with each barb they had moved closer and closer together until now they were only about a foot apart. Dick could tell M’gann was watching this as gleefully as he was, and was trying to stay as unobtrusive as she could. He almost wished they had a psychic connection at this moment, so they could enjoy it together. But that would mean giving his position away, and he couldn’t.”

“I am.” She smirked, confident that she had got him. Dick held his breath and waited for Wally to stick his foot in his mouth.

“Because I would. I would totally go.”

Bingo.

That was Robin’s cue. He crawled out of the vent as quick as he could.

“Fine,” he could hear Artemis saying. “Then come.”

There was a tone of pure challenge in her voice, but Robin couldn’t hear the response. Superboy’s robotic ball was waiting in the hall where Robin had left him. “Now,” he said. And the ball whirled off with the extra suit Dick had asked Bruce to buy.

He crawled back into the vent in time to hear Artemis say, “Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

He had them then.

 

 

 

Dick stayed to the outskirts of the dance floor, but he never lost sight of them. They bickered all night long, even when they were dancing, and when a slow song came on her saw Wally’s arms tighten around her waist, and Artemis lay her head on his shoulder.

Later, Robin would gloat. For now, he stood and admired a job well done. And besides, maybe he had used his powers for the good of the community after all.


End file.
